This is the second competitive renewal of the IMSD training program at Harvard. The broad aim of the program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing quantitative research careers in Public Health by expanding and supporting graduate training opportunities for underrepresented minorities at the Harvard School of Public Health, an institution dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication, and with a particular objective of strengthening health capacities and services to communities. Specific elements of the program include: o Providing a supportive academic environment for underrepresented minority students at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The program is organized around a theme of quantitative methods for health disparities research. A weekly "grant group" meeting alternates between brown bag discussion groups, formal seminars and professional development seminars o Providing funding for 10 students pursuing graduate degrees at HSPH. Students can be from any department at the School, though four core departments are expected to be involved (Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, and Society, Human Development and Health). o Supporting up to six Harvard undergraduates to participate in the Summer Program in Quantitative Sciences, designed to provide a stimulating and interesting introduction to public health research, o An annual summer workshop on a topic of relevance to health disparities research with the participation of numerous experts from the local and national scientific scene. Our program will be evaluated by Dr Ed Devos, formerly from the Educational Development Center in Boston and now with New England Medical Center. Ongoing annual evaluations suggest that over the 7 years it has been in place, our program has made considerable progress towards achieving our original goals. Our original cohort of students have now graduated and are pursuing successful research careers in academia (at least four are now assistant professors), in the private sector, and in governmental agencies.